Always
by Aliyah-Shalom-David34
Summary: Instead of removing her arm, Solas tried to stabilize it. But his second attempt to stabilize the Anchor failed. Now Amalyn Trevalyan and Cullen have to try to come to terms with her immanent demise. Character death. Trevalyan/Cullen. Possible spoilers for Trespasser.


"Please! You don't have to do this!" The Inquisitor begged the elf, from where she knelt on the ground, clutching her left arm to her stomach, pain pulsing up it as the Anchor slowly spread.

"It is the only way to bring my people back. The humans must die." He said, his back towards her, looking over his shoulder at her.

He turned around and knelt in front of her.

"I will prove to you there's another way." She said, gasping from the pain.

Solas smiled down at her.

"I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong by you again, my friend."

He touched her arm, and Amalyn gasped as the pain faded, and the light receded into a dull thrum.

She closed her hand and it faded completely.

She continued to kneel as Solas walked through the Eluvian, disappearing again.

She sighed as she got to her feet, staring at her left hand.

Something still felt off, but she wouldn't let it bother as of now. The immediate danger was passed, and she had to return to the Winter Palace.

oOo

Negotiations were done. The Inquisition had decided to become Divine Victoria's Honor Guard. There were many long months ahead.

Amalyn sighed as she stared at her reflection. Her icy blue eyes seemed to have dulled and sunken into her skull. And her pale skin seemed even more so, making her honey colored hair stand out in contrast.

She slowly removed the band from around her hair, letting it fall down her back, and out of the tight bun she always kept it in.

She dipped her hands in the water basin, disturbing her reflection, as she washed her face.

She moved to the bed, sitting on the corner, and stared at her hand

"Just how much trouble will you cause me before you succeed in taking my life?" She whispered to herself, as the Anchor glowed.

She sat there for another moment before the door opened.

She got to her feet and met Cullen halfway.

"Praise Andraste…" He whispered as they embraced. "When you went through the Eluvian that last time, I thought…" He sighed. "Just… Thank the Maker. If you hadn't found Solas…"

"He's gone again. Left to open the Veil. He's going to start a war Cullen. And I… I let him walk away. I didn't even try to stop him." She said as she pulled away.

"Amalyn…" He said quietly.

"I told him that I would prove him wrong. That there was another way. But what if there isn't? What if… what if I finally made the one mistake I can't fix?" She said as she paced.

Cullen walked forward grasping her arms.

"It will all be fine. You need to rest. You've barely slept since we got here." He said guiding her towards the bed again.

"I… Cullen… What would you have done? If I hadn't-" She started, as she laid back on the bed.

"Shh. It's over. You're here. You're safe. That's all that matters right now. Sleep." He said as his lips brushed against her forehead.

oOo

She awoke to a searing pain shooting up her arm, forcing her to curl up and scream in agony.

Cullen jerked up from where he lay beside her.

Fear gripped at his chest when he saw that the Anchor was at her elbow, forming green crystals that crawled its way up her arm.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes as she sat up.

"I don't want to leave you… I don't want to die."

The fear in her voice shook him to the core, and possessed by determination, scooped his wife and lover out of bed, holding her close, listening to her cries of pain, as the Mark throbbed, hearing the cracking of crystal as the Anchor spread.

He burst into Vivienne's room, the only Mage with healing magic he knew and trusted enough to care for her, who was already fastening a robe around herself.

"What happened?! I heard her screams all the way down here!"

"The Mark." Was all Cullen said, brushing past the former Enchanter.

"I thought Solas Stabilized it!" She said as Cullen laid Amalyn down on the bed.

"I don't know! We were asleep when she started screaming!"

"This isn't good." She said looking his lover over. "It's already to her shoulder. The immense rate at which its growing means we don't have much time."

"What are you going to do?" He asked as cradled Amalyn's head in his arms, her full voiced shouts quieting down into low moans.

Vivienne dug through the tomes she had brought with her.

"We have to cut her arm off before it spreads any further."

He gaped at her.

"Is there no other way?"

"Possibly, but it could take months, even years to find it. And at this rate, we don't even have fifteen minutes if we're not already too late."

oOo

Thoughts rushed through Amalyn's mind as she lay in Cullen's arms.

" _We don't even have fifteen minutes."_

She wasn't going to make it.

The time to find and prepare everything, with magic or no, would be too great.

Already, she could feel her energy being drained by the Anchor.

That thought landed like an iron ball on her chest.

She wouldn't be able to retire in a small village like her and Cullen talked about. Raise a family. Grow old together.

By this time, she noticed, most of her friends had gathered around her.

Vivienne looked at her, and Amalyn saw it in her eyes. It was too late.

Cullen looked down at her sorrow drawn on his face.

"Cullen…" She whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Shh… it's alright my love." He said, tears glistening in his eyes.

"I was looking forward to meeting your siblings." She said, a weak smile on her face.

He smiled back.

"I know… I'm sure they'd have loved you." He said, tears rolling down his cheeks and landing in her hair.

Her gasps came in short gasps, as she raised her right hand, wiped his tears away.

"I… love you…" She said, barely audible

He sobbed as he held her close to him.

"I will always love you. From now onto when we meet again at the maker's side."

He held her tight rocking her as her felt her take her final breath.

"Always…"


End file.
